Allan Pinkerton

"Allan Pinkerton was the world's most famous detective, and his pioneering techniques in crime detection, catching criminals, and undercover work defined the profession of private eye. Pinkerton was a man of great contradictions, accomplishments, failings, and always a self-promoter. Pinkerton and his Pinkerton National Detective Agency's (PNDA) filled a gap in the capacity of government from the local to the federal level to catch criminals, provide security to individuals or property, and conduct counterintelligence. Indeed, the PNDA became the principal model for the eventual creation of the FBI. The PNDA's work was also controversial and at times notorious, especially after multiple generations of heirs took over the firm after the founder's death. Strike breaking and union busting became some of the most lucrative lines of business but also caused a public and Congressional backlash against the firm. Both the founder and his sons engaged in threat inflation to promote business. On the other hand, the PNDA also chased the most high-profile criminals of the day including Jesse James and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. This is a biography of Pinkerton and also a book about how the private-security industry as we know it today has its origins in the PNDA"--